S-18 class Bug solved?

Mithrandir · 08-27-09, 12:20 PM

Dear all,
I write this post to announce that it seems that I finally managed to solve a bug critical for the S-18 class submarine in SH4.
The fact that nobody before me have noticed this terrible bug (I searched a lot the forum but without any result) is clearly an indication that very few people use this old submarine class, so I think that my discovery will be of very low importance... Anyway it can be very useful for those people, like me, that still use it.
All started some time ago when, during a terrible surface combat between my S-18 and a Japanese destroyer, my Engine room was flooded and the diesel engines were damaged (not destroyed). I managed, in some way, to sink the destroyer and I started repairing my sub.
Diesel engines were repaired, the water pumped-out and the submarine was again shining new (except the hull that was damaged to a certain extent, of course!).
So I tried to return to base and... nothing, the sub was sitting in the water like a duck. All repaired but no propulsion power.
Furthermore, when I tried to submerge the sub sunk like a stone as when you have a compartment fully flooded, but all the water was pumped-out!!!
This situation was later experienced several times and all the times with the same result: need to reload a previous save.
I decided that it was necessary to find a solution...
Using S3ditor I discovered that the S-18 (the only sub with this bug) was also the only sub with a type 29 zone in the "subname.zon" file.
After reading a post on the forum on the zones in "subname.zon" file, I noticed that the effect of this zone is to stop propulsion in case of complete flooding of the parent.
This zone seems also not prone to repair and to water pumping, so is this zone that causes the bug.
I decided to remove the node of this zone from the zon file and I tested it in several combats (offering the stern to the enemy guns to let them hit the engine room): the sub behaviour in case of engine room damage and complete flooding was now perfect. The diesel engines can be damaged, repaired and destroyed and the sub, once repaired behaves normally for what concerns propulsion power and submerging.
More surprisingly: reloading one of the saved games with the sub struct in the ocean with no propulsion power after the engine room flooding, the problem disappeared and, after repairs it returned to sail perfectly!
Personally I think that the presence of zone 29 in the s18 class (only in the s18 class) is an error made when Ubisoft corrected a similar bug in all the other subs in one of their official patch.
May I ask if there is someone of you that still use the s-18 interested in testing this solution?
Bye,
Mith

vickers03 · 08-27-09, 01:10 PM

good find

keep on modding

polyfiller · 08-27-09, 01:35 PM

I need to take a look at the S18 files to confirm something ..... the zone 29 SHOULD only have the effect you've found on a sub with one or two propellers .....I have used zone 29 in reverse on the TSWSM .... to provide ships with 3 damageable propulsion zones (many large ships had prot,starboard and centre turbine rooms)..... zone 29 will propell any propellers byond the first two, and will drive the first two regardless of whether or not zones 21 & 55 are present if there are two or less props (I think from memory) so if it gets flooded, it takes out all propulsion on a unit with two or less props. On a ship with four props ... it has the rather pleasant effect I was looking for for large capital ships.

Mithrandir · 08-28-09, 12:29 AM

polyfiller,
I agree with you on the utility of this zone for ships, but putting it on a sub is, in my opinion, a mistake... And a confirmation to this seems to be the fact that in all othes US subs in the game this zone is not present!

Bye,
Mith

polyfiller · 08-28-09, 06:41 PM

Yes, agreed ... it's a hangover from having "magic" zone number which impact the game in a way that can only be determined / changed via the main game engine code. Not sure if this was laziness on the part of the devs or a deliberate ploy to make modding difficult.

I know what my money would be on

keltos01 · 08-29-09, 05:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by polyfiller

Yes, agreed ... it's a hangover from having "magic" zone number which impact the game in a way that can only be determined / changed via the main game engine code. Not sure if this was laziness on the part of the devs or a deliberate ploy to make modding difficult.

I know what my money would be on

could there be such "magic" or "evil" zone in the Uboot add-on ?

with the same numbers as the US zones my IJN Boats get damaged and sunk faaaar tooo easily.

could you take a look at my IBDM Polyfiller or maybe you already know ?

I know that Observer's uboot damage model uses fleetboat zones !

keltos

08-27-09, 12:20 PM	#1
Mithrandir Bosun Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Roma, Italia Posts: 64 Downloads: 199 Uploads: 0	S-18 class Bug solved? Dear all, I write this post to announce that it seems that I finally managed to solve a bug critical for the S-18 class submarine in SH4. The fact that nobody before me have noticed this terrible bug (I searched a lot the forum but without any result) is clearly an indication that very few people use this old submarine class, so I think that my discovery will be of very low importance... Anyway it can be very useful for those people, like me, that still use it. All started some time ago when, during a terrible surface combat between my S-18 and a Japanese destroyer, my Engine room was flooded and the diesel engines were damaged (not destroyed). I managed, in some way, to sink the destroyer and I started repairing my sub. Diesel engines were repaired, the water pumped-out and the submarine was again shining new (except the hull that was damaged to a certain extent, of course!). So I tried to return to base and... nothing, the sub was sitting in the water like a duck. All repaired but no propulsion power. Furthermore, when I tried to submerge the sub sunk like a stone as when you have a compartment fully flooded, but all the water was pumped-out!!! This situation was later experienced several times and all the times with the same result: need to reload a previous save. I decided that it was necessary to find a solution... Using S3ditor I discovered that the S-18 (the only sub with this bug) was also the only sub with a type 29 zone in the "subname.zon" file. After reading a post on the forum on the zones in "subname.zon" file, I noticed that the effect of this zone is to stop propulsion in case of complete flooding of the parent. This zone seems also not prone to repair and to water pumping, so is this zone that causes the bug. I decided to remove the node of this zone from the zon file and I tested it in several combats (offering the stern to the enemy guns to let them hit the engine room): the sub behaviour in case of engine room damage and complete flooding was now perfect. The diesel engines can be damaged, repaired and destroyed and the sub, once repaired behaves normally for what concerns propulsion power and submerging. More surprisingly: reloading one of the saved games with the sub struct in the ocean with no propulsion power after the engine room flooding, the problem disappeared and, after repairs it returned to sail perfectly! Personally I think that the presence of zone 29 in the s18 class (only in the s18 class) is an error made when Ubisoft corrected a similar bug in all the other subs in one of their official patch. May I ask if there is someone of you that still use the s-18 interested in testing this solution? Bye, Mith Last edited by Mithrandir; 08-28-09 at 12:35 AM.

08-27-09, 01:10 PM	#2
vickers03 Pooped from posting Join Date: May 2007 Location: germany Posts: 999 Downloads: 712 Uploads: 37	good find keep on modding

08-27-09, 01:35 PM	#3
polyfiller Weps Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 359 Downloads: 43 Uploads: 0	I need to take a look at the S18 files to confirm something ..... the zone 29 SHOULD only have the effect you've found on a sub with one or two propellers .....I have used zone 29 in reverse on the TSWSM .... to provide ships with 3 damageable propulsion zones (many large ships had prot,starboard and centre turbine rooms)..... zone 29 will propell any propellers byond the first two, and will drive the first two regardless of whether or not zones 21 & 55 are present if there are two or less props (I think from memory) so if it gets flooded, it takes out all propulsion on a unit with two or less props. On a ship with four props ... it has the rather pleasant effect I was looking for for large capital ships.

08-28-09, 12:29 AM	#4
Mithrandir Bosun Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Roma, Italia Posts: 64 Downloads: 199 Uploads: 0	polyfiller, I agree with you on the utility of this zone for ships, but putting it on a sub is, in my opinion, a mistake... And a confirmation to this seems to be the fact that in all othes US subs in the game this zone is not present! Bye, Mith

08-28-09, 06:41 PM	#5
polyfiller Weps Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 359 Downloads: 43 Uploads: 0	Yes, agreed ... it's a hangover from having "magic" zone number which impact the game in a way that can only be determined / changed via the main game engine code. Not sure if this was laziness on the part of the devs or a deliberate ploy to make modding difficult. I know what my money would be on